Fate of next Essential Air Service provider remains unknown
Cheyenne, Wyo.,-based Great Lakes Airlines notified the city this week that all of its air service at Great Bend Municipal Airport will cease at the end of this month, Airport Manager Martin Miller announced Thursday. This is one month shy of its original contract with the United States Department of Transportation.
So, effective April 1, Great Bend will be without airline service until the next Essential Air Service order takes effect, in May of this year, Miller said. Great Lakes will, however, continue its flights from Hays to Denver.
Both Hays and Great Bend have experienced substantial decreases in scheduled flights over the last several months.
“We will be in a transition period with a new type of service,” Miller said. “The City Council has recommended that DOT accept a bid from SeaPort Airlines for Great Bend and we are excited about working to get more reliable air service to our area.”
But, as of now, DOT has not yet issued its order for Essential Air Service for the next two-year period, commencing May 1. The DOT’s selection of SeaPort Airlines of Portland, Ore., for Great Bend is anticipated, though not official as of yet. SeaPort will provide twice daily service to Wichita, and once daily service to Kansas City through Salina.
The fact that the order has not been issued could delay the start of the probable SeaPort service beyond the first of May, Miller said. “We are in contact with both SeaPort and DOT.”
Under the next contracts, Hays will retain Denver service. This allows area residents to choose either an east-bound destinations through Great Bend, or a west-bound destinations through Hays.
This allows area residents to choose either an east-bound destination through Great Bend, or a west-bound destination through Hays, Miller said. “The City of Great Bend looks forward to sharing efforts with Hays, so that area residents have the option to fly east out of Great Bend, or west out of Hays.”
At its Jan. 6 meeting, the Great Bend City Council accepted its Essential Air Service Committee recommendation to pick SeaPort as the EAS provider. This recommendation was forwarded to the DOT which has the final say in the matter.
The USDOT sent the two proposals the city. The federal agency administers the program and will make the ultimate decision, but wanted local input first.
At the January meeting, it was noted that SeaPort offers 18 round-trip flights to Wichita each week via a nine-passenger aircraft. There is also a chance some of the flights could be through Kansas City.
The other bid came from Great Lakes. Its plan, which is similar to the current one, called for 12 round-trip flights per week to Denver via a 19-passenger plane.
Every two years, the USDOT solicits bids for EAS carriers.
There were several factors that went into the committee’s decision.
First, the current carrier wasn’t meeting city expectations. The airline canceled 22 of 48 flights in November, canceled 18 in December and has only flown limited flights so far this year.
There were other stories of poor service, passengers being stranded in airports and lost luggage.
But, some on the council supported Great Lakes and said the Federal Aviation Administration changed pilot hour requirements. This has lead to a pilot shortage for Great Lakes.
A Great Bend resident who flies out of Great Bend to Denver often spoke at the meeting as well. The frequent passenger said a flight to Wichita is “pointless” and Denver is a major hub, making for fewer layovers.
However, during the EAS selection two years ago when Great Lakes was selected, there were also bad reports about Great Lakes. At that time, there were no FAA changes.
A city’s EAS status depends on the number of passengers and its distance from a hub. However, passenger count is the big factor, and should people stop flying Great Lakes due to the service, the city runs the risk of losing EAS.
The SeaPort bid was lower than Great Lake’s bid. It came in at $1.4 million and was $541,000 lower than Great Lakes, and the feds might look favorably on that.
Also, SeaPort uses Cessna Caravan planes which are still in production. Great Lakes flies Beechcraft 1900s which are not being made anymore, causing problems getting parts.
Other considerations were the Transportation Security Administration screening process and the proximity to other airports in the area.
Up until two years ago, Great Bend worked with four other western Kansas cities as sort of a rural air coalition – Dodge City, Garden City, Hays and Liberal. Garden City has since sort of broken away and sought a different carrier, and Hays is doing the same thing this year.
The city learned of the two competing proposals sort of at the last minute in late December. Mayor Mike Allison and Miller quickly formed a committee to study the matter. The goal is to have the panel in place by the end of the year and a proposal before the council this meeting.
The committee was made up of Miller, city administrators and staff members, council members, airport users and other interested individuals.
City officials forwarded comments to the DOT by the Jan. 13 deadline.
According to the DOT, the Airline Deregulation Act, passed in 1978, gave airlines almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve domestically and what fares to charge for that service. The EAS program was put into place to guarantee that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers.
This is done by subsidizing two to four round trips a day to a major hub airport. The department currently subsidizes commuter airlines to serve approximately 163 rural communities across the country that otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service.
For more information contact Miller at 620-793-4168.
Source: http://www.gbtribune.com
Showing posts with label Airlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Airlines. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2014
Sunday, March 09, 2014
Nepal Airlines Corporation to halt domestic flights for at least a month
KATHMANDU, March 9: Nepal
Airlines Corporation (NAC) won't fly in domestic skies at least for a
month as it doesn't have any aircraft for domestic flights.
Until about a month ago, NAC was operating two Twin Otter aircraft. But one of them crashed at Argakhanchi district last month, and the other with call sign 9N-ABU has been grounded at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after its engine caught fire on Friday. Though NAC has three other Twin Otters, they have been grounded for many years and cannot be brought into operation immediately.
“Domestic flights will be halted for some time as we don´t have any aircraft,” Ram Hari Sharma, spokesperson of NAC, told Republica on Sunday. “It can be for a month or even more.”
Sharma said the national flag carrier was not sure when the engine of 9N-ABU will be repaired. “We don´t have engineers who could repair the engine. We probably will have to take it abroad for maintenance,” said Sharma. “We have to follow certain procedures to repair the engine which is time consuming. It takes time to make the aircraft ready for flight.”
He said an eligible foreign company will have to be selected to repair the engine by announcing a tender notice at the earliest. “Maintenance time depends on the problem seen in the engine,” said Sharma.
He said the national flag carrier would issue the tender notice soon.
Meanwhile, NAC is planning to operate its grounded Twin Otter with call sign 9N-ABT by mid-April. The aircraft has been grounded since one and half years ago after its engine life expired.
“We announced a tender notice a month ago for replacement of the engine and maintenance of the aircraft,” Sharma said, adding that he was hopeful that the aircraft will be ready for operation by mid-April.
At present, NAC only has two Boeing 757 aircraft for international operation. It, however, has placed orders for eight aircraft - two Airbus A320-200 for international operation and six small aircraft for international operation.
NAC is acquiring two MA 60s and four Harbin Y12e aircraft from China.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com
Until about a month ago, NAC was operating two Twin Otter aircraft. But one of them crashed at Argakhanchi district last month, and the other with call sign 9N-ABU has been grounded at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after its engine caught fire on Friday. Though NAC has three other Twin Otters, they have been grounded for many years and cannot be brought into operation immediately.
“Domestic flights will be halted for some time as we don´t have any aircraft,” Ram Hari Sharma, spokesperson of NAC, told Republica on Sunday. “It can be for a month or even more.”
Sharma said the national flag carrier was not sure when the engine of 9N-ABU will be repaired. “We don´t have engineers who could repair the engine. We probably will have to take it abroad for maintenance,” said Sharma. “We have to follow certain procedures to repair the engine which is time consuming. It takes time to make the aircraft ready for flight.”
He said an eligible foreign company will have to be selected to repair the engine by announcing a tender notice at the earliest. “Maintenance time depends on the problem seen in the engine,” said Sharma.
He said the national flag carrier would issue the tender notice soon.
Meanwhile, NAC is planning to operate its grounded Twin Otter with call sign 9N-ABT by mid-April. The aircraft has been grounded since one and half years ago after its engine life expired.
“We announced a tender notice a month ago for replacement of the engine and maintenance of the aircraft,” Sharma said, adding that he was hopeful that the aircraft will be ready for operation by mid-April.
At present, NAC only has two Boeing 757 aircraft for international operation. It, however, has placed orders for eight aircraft - two Airbus A320-200 for international operation and six small aircraft for international operation.
NAC is acquiring two MA 60s and four Harbin Y12e aircraft from China.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com
Cape Air wants passengers to park for free Provincetown Municipal Airport (KPVC), Massachusetts
A proposal to charge for parking at the Provincetown Municipal Airport didn't fly with Cape Air spokesperson Michelle Haynes.
PROVINCETOWN
A proposal to charge for parking at the Provincetown Municipal Airport didn’t fly with Cape Air spokesperson Michelle Haynes.
"It has come up before; it is something we’re very concerned about,” she told the finance committee last week. “Our request to you … is that you look at this very closely and what this may do to us as a business.”
The problem, Haynes said, is that the small airline operates at a deficit seven months a year and faces stiff competition from fast ferries and cars. Free parking is a perk of landing in Provincetown, she said, adding that 80 percent of the vehicles parked there sport resident parking permits on their windshields.
Mike Valenti, chair of the airport commission, said Monday that the airline relies on — in fact it needs — 10,000 paid passengers to fly out of Provincetown to receive about $1 million in federal grants a year. The $95,000 that the town has budgeted for the airport doesn’t cover big projects required to keep it up and running, he added. Thus, a dip in passenger numbers could kill its funding and possibly the airline’s operation here.
Mike Canizales, chair of the FinCom, said that his committee is looking to “moderately raise” embarkation rates for everyone and feels that those who can afford to fly can afford to park.
But, Haynes responded, there’s got to be perks to flying out of Provincetown because landing in Logan International Airport is a hassle.
“We are here today [through winter] at six passengers a day,” she said. “We are here year-round. … That’s a major difference.”
And yet FinCom members were adamant that a $5 or $10 parking charge wouldn’t hurt people who can afford to fly.
“You’re getting into a chunk of money that can help with a lot of priorities,” Canizales said, and seemed surprised to find that Cape Air rents parking spaces to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “So we give you parking for free and you rent it out?”
Haynes said that she’d return with relevant financial and passenger numbers. Meanwhile Clarence Walker, another FinCom member, would like those who park at the airport for two or three months for free while they vacation in the winter to pay up. Haynes agreed that something should be done about that.
Story and photo: http://provincetown.wickedlocal.com
PROVINCETOWN
A proposal to charge for parking at the Provincetown Municipal Airport didn’t fly with Cape Air spokesperson Michelle Haynes.
"It has come up before; it is something we’re very concerned about,” she told the finance committee last week. “Our request to you … is that you look at this very closely and what this may do to us as a business.”
The problem, Haynes said, is that the small airline operates at a deficit seven months a year and faces stiff competition from fast ferries and cars. Free parking is a perk of landing in Provincetown, she said, adding that 80 percent of the vehicles parked there sport resident parking permits on their windshields.
Mike Valenti, chair of the airport commission, said Monday that the airline relies on — in fact it needs — 10,000 paid passengers to fly out of Provincetown to receive about $1 million in federal grants a year. The $95,000 that the town has budgeted for the airport doesn’t cover big projects required to keep it up and running, he added. Thus, a dip in passenger numbers could kill its funding and possibly the airline’s operation here.
Mike Canizales, chair of the FinCom, said that his committee is looking to “moderately raise” embarkation rates for everyone and feels that those who can afford to fly can afford to park.
But, Haynes responded, there’s got to be perks to flying out of Provincetown because landing in Logan International Airport is a hassle.
“We are here today [through winter] at six passengers a day,” she said. “We are here year-round. … That’s a major difference.”
And yet FinCom members were adamant that a $5 or $10 parking charge wouldn’t hurt people who can afford to fly.
“You’re getting into a chunk of money that can help with a lot of priorities,” Canizales said, and seemed surprised to find that Cape Air rents parking spaces to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “So we give you parking for free and you rent it out?”
Haynes said that she’d return with relevant financial and passenger numbers. Meanwhile Clarence Walker, another FinCom member, would like those who park at the airport for two or three months for free while they vacation in the winter to pay up. Haynes agreed that something should be done about that.
Story and photo: http://provincetown.wickedlocal.com
Friday, March 07, 2014
Women’s Day: Jet, GoAir offer discount, Air India all-women crew flight
Women travelers will get a 10 percent discount, for online bookings between March 8 and May 8, with travel validity of 11 months.
Domestic airlines are wooing women travelers with discounts and an all-women crew flights to mark the International Women’s Day, which falls on Saturday.
While private carrier Jet Airways has announced discounted tickets, with a two-months booking window and 11 months validity, budget carrier GoAir has offered upgrade to business class at low prices.
The national carrier Air India is mulling an all-women crew flight.
Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways has offered discounted fares to women travellers with a two-month booking period, starting from Saturday.
Under the offer, women travellers will get a special 10 percent discount on base fares for international journey and a similar discount on base fare and fuel surcharge for domestic travel, it said on Friday.
All tickets, for both domestic and international travel, must be booked online between March 8 and May 8, with travel validity of 11 months, Jet Airways said adding the offer was applicable for Jet Airways and Jet Konnect.
Air India, which has been operating an all-women crew flight to mark the International Women’s Day for the last few years, now plans a similar flight this year too.
“We have been operating such flights for the last several years. And this year also, we will be operating flights with all-women crew on international and domestic sectors,” an Air India official said.
Such a move sends out a strong message that women are no different from the men when it comes to the tough job of flying, the official said.
Nusli Wadia promoted GoAir had on Friday announced a special scheme for women travelers, offering upgrade to business class for Rs.999.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com
Domestic airlines are wooing women travelers with discounts and an all-women crew flights to mark the International Women’s Day, which falls on Saturday.
While private carrier Jet Airways has announced discounted tickets, with a two-months booking window and 11 months validity, budget carrier GoAir has offered upgrade to business class at low prices.
The national carrier Air India is mulling an all-women crew flight.
Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways has offered discounted fares to women travellers with a two-month booking period, starting from Saturday.
Under the offer, women travellers will get a special 10 percent discount on base fares for international journey and a similar discount on base fare and fuel surcharge for domestic travel, it said on Friday.
All tickets, for both domestic and international travel, must be booked online between March 8 and May 8, with travel validity of 11 months, Jet Airways said adding the offer was applicable for Jet Airways and Jet Konnect.
Air India, which has been operating an all-women crew flight to mark the International Women’s Day for the last few years, now plans a similar flight this year too.
“We have been operating such flights for the last several years. And this year also, we will be operating flights with all-women crew on international and domestic sectors,” an Air India official said.
Such a move sends out a strong message that women are no different from the men when it comes to the tough job of flying, the official said.
Nusli Wadia promoted GoAir had on Friday announced a special scheme for women travelers, offering upgrade to business class for Rs.999.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport (KPIB), Mississippi
Hattiesburg-Laurel Airport Officials Look For New Carrier
ONES COUNTY, Miss. - The contract for the one commercial airline carrier at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport expires in a few months.
Airport management says the airline most likely wont be returning.
"That hasn't worked well as we thought, said PIB Executive Director Tom Heanue. "There have been some issues."
Heanue believes Silver Airways will soon pull air service in the Pine Belt. The small airline has been the commercial carrier at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport since Delta decided to leave in 2012.
"We use to do about 1,000 people a month flying out and about that much coming in," he said. "Our numbers are down to about 300 a month leaving."
Some of the problems, Heanue said comes from new FAA regulations, and a shortage of pilots.
"That's really put a hindrance on small carries and Silver was one of them," he said.
Right Silver provides commercial flight service to Atlanta.
"I believe its been poor management they've not been able to make the Southern hub work out of Atlanta," he said.
The contract between the airport and the air carrier expires at the end of September. PIB says no other airlines have submitted bids to service the Pine Belt, and Heanue doesn't believe Silver Airways will return.
"We are hoping that we can go out and find someone else, it's not easy, it's difficult," he said. "About 25 years ago they would want to knock on your door and come to your location. Now it is a money game, fuel is high, moving passengers, unions, so small airports is not really where they want to be unless there's an opportunity for profit."
PIB is asking for travel data from 2013 from customers to help them seek a new carrier. You can submit that information to your local chamber or to the airport at tom.heanue@flypib.com.
Story and video: http://www.whlt.com
WHLT 22 Connecting the Pine Belt
ONES COUNTY, Miss. - The contract for the one commercial airline carrier at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport expires in a few months.
Airport management says the airline most likely wont be returning.
"That hasn't worked well as we thought, said PIB Executive Director Tom Heanue. "There have been some issues."
Heanue believes Silver Airways will soon pull air service in the Pine Belt. The small airline has been the commercial carrier at the Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport since Delta decided to leave in 2012.
"We use to do about 1,000 people a month flying out and about that much coming in," he said. "Our numbers are down to about 300 a month leaving."
Some of the problems, Heanue said comes from new FAA regulations, and a shortage of pilots.
"That's really put a hindrance on small carries and Silver was one of them," he said.
Right Silver provides commercial flight service to Atlanta.
"I believe its been poor management they've not been able to make the Southern hub work out of Atlanta," he said.
The contract between the airport and the air carrier expires at the end of September. PIB says no other airlines have submitted bids to service the Pine Belt, and Heanue doesn't believe Silver Airways will return.
"We are hoping that we can go out and find someone else, it's not easy, it's difficult," he said. "About 25 years ago they would want to knock on your door and come to your location. Now it is a money game, fuel is high, moving passengers, unions, so small airports is not really where they want to be unless there's an opportunity for profit."
PIB is asking for travel data from 2013 from customers to help them seek a new carrier. You can submit that information to your local chamber or to the airport at tom.heanue@flypib.com.
Story and video: http://www.whlt.com
WHLT 22 Connecting the Pine Belt
Air India sacks 17 crew members for defying Flight and Duty Time Limitation norms
Mumbai: National carrier Air India has sacked 16 air hostesses and a flight purser in the past nine days for not following flight duty time limitation (FDTL) norms.
"The action (against the 17 cabin crew) is not off-handed. The management had been asking them to follow FDTL rules for over six months now but they failed to do so. We took the decision only after the indiscipline crossed the tolerance limits," a senior Air India official said here.
FDTL are guidelines governing the aspects such as the maximum daily flight duty period including flying hours limitations, rest period, staff-on-duty travel and number of landings allowed per pilot as well as the crew.
The Civil Aviation Ministry had in September 2012 directed Air India to immediately implement the FDTL.
Noting that Air India can't be an exception to the flight duty time norms, mandatory across the airlines, the official said these cabin crew wanted duty hours "by their choice and as per the earlier rules agreed with the unions".
"These rules were made at the time when Air India was doing financially well. But now situation is different. We made cabin crew understand this. While most of the people started following the new rules, these people did not. Hence the action," the official said.
The carrier last month issued a general notice, warning crew of serious action including termination, the official said. "We feel that all issues can be sorted out as long as flights are taking off on time. But February was worst for us in terms of on time performance."
As against an industry average of 75 hours of monthly flying, Air India averages only 52 hours on international routes. In domestic sector it is slightly better at 55 hours per month, the official said.
"We can not compete at this average, particularly when we are going to be a part of the Star Alliance. So accountability has to be there," the official said.
Though the Airline cabin crew association had approached the various courts seeking a stay to implementation of the new FDTL, both Bombay and Delhi High courts refused any relief.
Source: http://zeenews.india.com
"The action (against the 17 cabin crew) is not off-handed. The management had been asking them to follow FDTL rules for over six months now but they failed to do so. We took the decision only after the indiscipline crossed the tolerance limits," a senior Air India official said here.
FDTL are guidelines governing the aspects such as the maximum daily flight duty period including flying hours limitations, rest period, staff-on-duty travel and number of landings allowed per pilot as well as the crew.
The Civil Aviation Ministry had in September 2012 directed Air India to immediately implement the FDTL.
Noting that Air India can't be an exception to the flight duty time norms, mandatory across the airlines, the official said these cabin crew wanted duty hours "by their choice and as per the earlier rules agreed with the unions".
"These rules were made at the time when Air India was doing financially well. But now situation is different. We made cabin crew understand this. While most of the people started following the new rules, these people did not. Hence the action," the official said.
The carrier last month issued a general notice, warning crew of serious action including termination, the official said. "We feel that all issues can be sorted out as long as flights are taking off on time. But February was worst for us in terms of on time performance."
As against an industry average of 75 hours of monthly flying, Air India averages only 52 hours on international routes. In domestic sector it is slightly better at 55 hours per month, the official said.
"We can not compete at this average, particularly when we are going to be a part of the Star Alliance. So accountability has to be there," the official said.
Though the Airline cabin crew association had approached the various courts seeking a stay to implementation of the new FDTL, both Bombay and Delhi High courts refused any relief.
Source: http://zeenews.india.com
Air India sacks 7 more air hostesses - reporting late for work, toll up to 17 in 9 days
NEW DELHI: Cracking the whip on erring cabin crew members who report late to airports and delay flights, Air India sacked seven more air hostesses on Tuesday — taking the number of those terminated to 17 in just nine days from February 24 to March 4. While 16 of these sacked personnel are air-hostesses, one is a flight purser.
The top management warns this number could grow unless everyone in the airline does their bit to ensure planes take off on time. "Factors beyond our control like technical glitches delaying flights can be understood, they have to be minimized too. But crew walking in when the like and keeping passengers waiting is unacceptable," said an official.
Air India (domestic) flights have among the lowest on time performance (DGCA) month after month in the figures released by the DGCA. Alarm bells started ringing in AI last month when the OTP of even the international flights fell to a mere 35% — which meant that 65% of the overseas flights were delayed — for some time. Among other reasons, instances of rampant crew indiscipline and crew reporting late for work figured high when an analysis for the unusually poorer-than-usual OTP last few months was done recently.
The other OTP killer is the Dreamliners' unending technical glitches on which the aviation ministry has so far refused to take any tough stand.
"AI has to join Star Alliance which has acclaimed airlines like Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Passengers transferring to or from these airlines expect a similar level of punctuality and service from us. We have no option but to be on time and delight the passenger with our services," said an official.
AI had on February 20 issued a general notice warning crew that if they do not reach airport in time to operate flights on time, the airline will take penal action against them — including terminating their services. Four airhostesses lost their jobs just days after this warning was issued. AI has 3,600 cabin crew.
This is the second time ever that the airline management has acted tough with its employees in a bid to improve performance. In 2002, the aviation ministry backed the management move to sack 99 pilots of Air India (erstwhile AI that operated wide body planes overseas) when they went on strike. It later took back all but 13 pilots despite all types of pressure on the management.
Of these 13, two went back to Air India Express on contract (instead of the regular employment they had earlier); eight went to AirAsia India; two to a new regional airline in south and one is still fighting to get his AI job back, said one of the sacked pilots.
Story and comments/reaction: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The top management warns this number could grow unless everyone in the airline does their bit to ensure planes take off on time. "Factors beyond our control like technical glitches delaying flights can be understood, they have to be minimized too. But crew walking in when the like and keeping passengers waiting is unacceptable," said an official.
Air India (domestic) flights have among the lowest on time performance (DGCA) month after month in the figures released by the DGCA. Alarm bells started ringing in AI last month when the OTP of even the international flights fell to a mere 35% — which meant that 65% of the overseas flights were delayed — for some time. Among other reasons, instances of rampant crew indiscipline and crew reporting late for work figured high when an analysis for the unusually poorer-than-usual OTP last few months was done recently.
The other OTP killer is the Dreamliners' unending technical glitches on which the aviation ministry has so far refused to take any tough stand.
"AI has to join Star Alliance which has acclaimed airlines like Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Passengers transferring to or from these airlines expect a similar level of punctuality and service from us. We have no option but to be on time and delight the passenger with our services," said an official.
AI had on February 20 issued a general notice warning crew that if they do not reach airport in time to operate flights on time, the airline will take penal action against them — including terminating their services. Four airhostesses lost their jobs just days after this warning was issued. AI has 3,600 cabin crew.
This is the second time ever that the airline management has acted tough with its employees in a bid to improve performance. In 2002, the aviation ministry backed the management move to sack 99 pilots of Air India (erstwhile AI that operated wide body planes overseas) when they went on strike. It later took back all but 13 pilots despite all types of pressure on the management.
Of these 13, two went back to Air India Express on contract (instead of the regular employment they had earlier); eight went to AirAsia India; two to a new regional airline in south and one is still fighting to get his AI job back, said one of the sacked pilots.
Story and comments/reaction: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Cape Air starts flights between San Juan and Virgin Gorda
Airlines face an unenviable dilemma when it comes to the Virgin Gorda airport. While passengers want access to the island’s many villas and resorts, the facility’s 3,100-foot runway is too short for many aircrafts.
The Massachusetts-based airline Cape Air found one solution: buying new planes.
The company recently purchased three nine-passenger Britten Norman-Islanders, which allowed it to begin offering service between VG and San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 17. The service, which offers three roundtrip flights per day, was officially inaugurated on Feb. 26 with a ceremony at the VG airport attended by government officials and Cape Air executives.
“Virgin Gorda is now on the national and international route maps, thanks the connection with Cape Air,” Andrew Bonney, the airline’s vice-president of planning, told the crowd, referring to the airline’s agreements with major United States carriers and travel websites. “That is something to cheer about.”
Russell Harrigan, the chairman of the BVI Tourist Board and the majority owner of this newspaper, said the airline’s new service will help meet tourists’ demand for direct access to the island.
See the March 6, 2014 edition for full coverage.
The Massachusetts-based airline Cape Air found one solution: buying new planes.
The company recently purchased three nine-passenger Britten Norman-Islanders, which allowed it to begin offering service between VG and San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 17. The service, which offers three roundtrip flights per day, was officially inaugurated on Feb. 26 with a ceremony at the VG airport attended by government officials and Cape Air executives.
“Virgin Gorda is now on the national and international route maps, thanks the connection with Cape Air,” Andrew Bonney, the airline’s vice-president of planning, told the crowd, referring to the airline’s agreements with major United States carriers and travel websites. “That is something to cheer about.”
Russell Harrigan, the chairman of the BVI Tourist Board and the majority owner of this newspaper, said the airline’s new service will help meet tourists’ demand for direct access to the island.
See the March 6, 2014 edition for full coverage.
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Caribbean Airlines ‘doing inquiries’ about flying to St. Vincent
The Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines is “doing inquiries” about flying to St. Vincent, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has told I-Witness News.
“I have not been formally approached but I understand from our authorities that they have come in and they were doing inquiries. But I haven’t seen anything formally coming to the state administration,” Gonsalves told I-Witness News on Saturday in Fitz Hughes.
Gonsalves, who is chair of regional carrier LIAT, had objected to CAL servicing the same routes as LIAT while CAL was receiving a fuel subsidy from the government of Trinidad and Tobago, which amounted to US$40 million in 2012.
He said that the subsidy was “illegal” under the treaty that established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and had threatened to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice if the matter could not be resolved through arbitration.
But the Kamla Persad Bissessar government in Port-of-Spain subsequently discontinued the subsidy.
Gonsalves told I-Witness News that he is no longer opposed to CAL flying to St. Vincent, and that there could be a partnership between the airline and LIAT, which is owned by the governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.
“Once the competition is fair and accords with the agreement which we have for air transportation in the region, there’s no problem,” said Gonsalves, who is chair of CARICOM and is lead prime minister on air and maritime transportation in its quasi-cabinet.
“Once you don’t have predatory pricing and you don’t have subsidies — any kind of unfair advantage being given to one side or another.”
Gonsalves said that in the past, LIAT has had competition from several other carriers.
“I have never ever been opposed to any competition for LIAT. All I ask is that the competition be fair and within the framework of the multilateral air services agreement of CARICOM.
“It is either we have rules or we don’t have rules. If we have the rules, you have to follow the rules. It is a simply straightforward matter,” Gonsalves said.
“It may very well be that if CAL comes into the OECS countries that LIAT and CAL can form a strategic partnership in these matters,” he further said.
CAL’s Communications Manager, Clint Williams, while he would not confirm nor deny the possibility of the airline servicing the route, told the Caribbean Media Corporation on Mondayt, “Caribbean Airlines is continuously evaluating new routes and new opportunities.
“Currently with our new business plan we are evaluating all the flying on our fleets including our ATR fleets,” he further said.
An airline industry officials told I-Witness News that CAL came to St. Vincent recently to do a site inspection about the possibility of flying to St. Vincent.
The airline brought personnel from its security, engineering, operation, and marketing departments.
The source further said that CAL has contacted at least three local companies about the possibility of one of them being handlers for the airline.
Source: http://www.iwnsvg.com
“I have not been formally approached but I understand from our authorities that they have come in and they were doing inquiries. But I haven’t seen anything formally coming to the state administration,” Gonsalves told I-Witness News on Saturday in Fitz Hughes.
Gonsalves, who is chair of regional carrier LIAT, had objected to CAL servicing the same routes as LIAT while CAL was receiving a fuel subsidy from the government of Trinidad and Tobago, which amounted to US$40 million in 2012.
He said that the subsidy was “illegal” under the treaty that established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and had threatened to go to the Caribbean Court of Justice if the matter could not be resolved through arbitration.
But the Kamla Persad Bissessar government in Port-of-Spain subsequently discontinued the subsidy.
Gonsalves told I-Witness News that he is no longer opposed to CAL flying to St. Vincent, and that there could be a partnership between the airline and LIAT, which is owned by the governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.
“Once the competition is fair and accords with the agreement which we have for air transportation in the region, there’s no problem,” said Gonsalves, who is chair of CARICOM and is lead prime minister on air and maritime transportation in its quasi-cabinet.
“Once you don’t have predatory pricing and you don’t have subsidies — any kind of unfair advantage being given to one side or another.”
Gonsalves said that in the past, LIAT has had competition from several other carriers.
“I have never ever been opposed to any competition for LIAT. All I ask is that the competition be fair and within the framework of the multilateral air services agreement of CARICOM.
“It is either we have rules or we don’t have rules. If we have the rules, you have to follow the rules. It is a simply straightforward matter,” Gonsalves said.
“It may very well be that if CAL comes into the OECS countries that LIAT and CAL can form a strategic partnership in these matters,” he further said.
CAL’s Communications Manager, Clint Williams, while he would not confirm nor deny the possibility of the airline servicing the route, told the Caribbean Media Corporation on Mondayt, “Caribbean Airlines is continuously evaluating new routes and new opportunities.
“Currently with our new business plan we are evaluating all the flying on our fleets including our ATR fleets,” he further said.
An airline industry officials told I-Witness News that CAL came to St. Vincent recently to do a site inspection about the possibility of flying to St. Vincent.
The airline brought personnel from its security, engineering, operation, and marketing departments.
The source further said that CAL has contacted at least three local companies about the possibility of one of them being handlers for the airline.
Source: http://www.iwnsvg.com
Monday, March 03, 2014
Jet Airways, SpiceJet Set to Make Boeing Orders: WSJ
The Wall Street Journal
By Gaurav Raghuvanshi
March 3, 2014 7:08 a.m. ET
India's unprofitable Jet Airways Ltd. and SpiceJet Ltd. are set to unveil dozens of new aircraft orders from Boeing Co., which is likely to turn up the competitive heat in the country's increasingly crowded airline industry.
The orders, which are worth US$8.3 billion at list prices, may be announced as early as next week at India's biggest commercial aviation show in the city of Hyderabad, people familiar with the matter said Monday. They said the orders could include about 30 Boeing 737-MAX single-aisle jets for SpiceJet, as well as a formal announcement of at least 50 planes of the same type for Jet Airways.
Another carrier, IndiGo, is also evaluating orders for more Airbus Group A320 jets, according to another person familiar with the situation, though the nation's biggest discount carrier by fleet size may not place its orders before the end of the first half.
The large orders reflect strong growth potential for India's airline industry, though the nation's domestic carriers continue to struggle.
Traffic growth is robust. Domestic travel between April and December rose 6% from a year earlier, while international traffic increased 10.7%, according to data from consulting firm CAPA — Centre for Aviation.
But India's airlines are strapped financially, having reported losses in the last three years as stiff competition forced them to discount tickets while excessive government regulation stunted growth.
SpiceJet reported a 1.73 billion-rupee (US$28 million) loss in the quarter that ended Dec. 31. The airline last reported an annual profit for the year that ended in March 2011.
Jet Airways, India's biggest premium carrier, last reported a consolidated annual profit for the year that ended in March 2007. Analysts expect the two airlines and flag carrier Air India Ltd. to report losses for the current financial year.
Competition among local carriers will likely intensify, after India's government last year allowed foreign airlines invest locally. Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd. have announced separate plans to enter the Indian market in partnership with local conglomerate Tata Group.
In addition to increasing competition and government regulation, India's airlines face high jet fuel charges and their airport fees are steep, especially at newly built terminals in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Spokesmen for Boeing, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Indigo declined to comment Monday, while Airbus couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Still, analysts say the industry has enormous growth potential if the country's sizable middle class chooses air travel over rail, which is the backbone of India's transportation infrastructure, despite being notoriously unreliable and inefficient.
"The losses of Indian carriers will not continue forever. The long-term outlook for the sector is extremely positive," said Amber Dubey, the head of aerospace and defense at consulting firm KPMG.
India is "getting increasingly aligned to global best practices in aviation and becoming a better place to do business in," said Mr. Dubey, noting he expects most policy problems to be resolved in the coming years.
Already, the Indian government has begun to liberalize the industry. It has allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferred seats and has permitted the A380, the world's biggest jet, to fly into India.
The government is also planning to abolish a rule that prohibits carriers from starting international service until they have a five-year track record of flying domestically and have at least 20 planes in their fleet.
Indian airlines are expected to order a combined 400 planes this year, according to CAPA, the consultancy. That compares with about 375 planes currently flying with the five national carriers.
Some of the orders will replace older aircraft. In some cases, the planes that are being replaced are only five or six years old. Many Asian budget airlines are increasingly opting to buy new aircraft and sell older planes to avoid hefty maintenance and overhaul costs.
The Indian deals likely to be announced next week will build on the more than 350 aircraft that Indian carriers have on order. The last major order by an Indian carrier was for 180 Airbus A320s by IndiGo, which was made in June 2011.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
By Gaurav Raghuvanshi
March 3, 2014 7:08 a.m. ET
India's unprofitable Jet Airways Ltd. and SpiceJet Ltd. are set to unveil dozens of new aircraft orders from Boeing Co., which is likely to turn up the competitive heat in the country's increasingly crowded airline industry.
The orders, which are worth US$8.3 billion at list prices, may be announced as early as next week at India's biggest commercial aviation show in the city of Hyderabad, people familiar with the matter said Monday. They said the orders could include about 30 Boeing 737-MAX single-aisle jets for SpiceJet, as well as a formal announcement of at least 50 planes of the same type for Jet Airways.
Another carrier, IndiGo, is also evaluating orders for more Airbus Group A320 jets, according to another person familiar with the situation, though the nation's biggest discount carrier by fleet size may not place its orders before the end of the first half.
The large orders reflect strong growth potential for India's airline industry, though the nation's domestic carriers continue to struggle.
Traffic growth is robust. Domestic travel between April and December rose 6% from a year earlier, while international traffic increased 10.7%, according to data from consulting firm CAPA — Centre for Aviation.
But India's airlines are strapped financially, having reported losses in the last three years as stiff competition forced them to discount tickets while excessive government regulation stunted growth.
SpiceJet reported a 1.73 billion-rupee (US$28 million) loss in the quarter that ended Dec. 31. The airline last reported an annual profit for the year that ended in March 2011.
Jet Airways, India's biggest premium carrier, last reported a consolidated annual profit for the year that ended in March 2007. Analysts expect the two airlines and flag carrier Air India Ltd. to report losses for the current financial year.
Competition among local carriers will likely intensify, after India's government last year allowed foreign airlines invest locally. Malaysia's AirAsia Bhd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd. have announced separate plans to enter the Indian market in partnership with local conglomerate Tata Group.
In addition to increasing competition and government regulation, India's airlines face high jet fuel charges and their airport fees are steep, especially at newly built terminals in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Spokesmen for Boeing, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Indigo declined to comment Monday, while Airbus couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Still, analysts say the industry has enormous growth potential if the country's sizable middle class chooses air travel over rail, which is the backbone of India's transportation infrastructure, despite being notoriously unreliable and inefficient.
"The losses of Indian carriers will not continue forever. The long-term outlook for the sector is extremely positive," said Amber Dubey, the head of aerospace and defense at consulting firm KPMG.
India is "getting increasingly aligned to global best practices in aviation and becoming a better place to do business in," said Mr. Dubey, noting he expects most policy problems to be resolved in the coming years.
Already, the Indian government has begun to liberalize the industry. It has allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferred seats and has permitted the A380, the world's biggest jet, to fly into India.
The government is also planning to abolish a rule that prohibits carriers from starting international service until they have a five-year track record of flying domestically and have at least 20 planes in their fleet.
Indian airlines are expected to order a combined 400 planes this year, according to CAPA, the consultancy. That compares with about 375 planes currently flying with the five national carriers.
Some of the orders will replace older aircraft. In some cases, the planes that are being replaced are only five or six years old. Many Asian budget airlines are increasingly opting to buy new aircraft and sell older planes to avoid hefty maintenance and overhaul costs.
The Indian deals likely to be announced next week will build on the more than 350 aircraft that Indian carriers have on order. The last major order by an Indian carrier was for 180 Airbus A320s by IndiGo, which was made in June 2011.
Source: http://online.wsj.com
Storm Delays, Cancels Flights At Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL), Pennsylvania
Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29
PHILADELPHIA -
Philadelphia International Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica joined the FOX 29 Morning News to provide an update Monday morning.
She said there were no planes taking off or landing early Monday morning.
"In anticipation of the weather event, airlines preemptively canceled the majority of the flights this morning. So, travelers had a good idea that their travel plans were change," Lupica said. "It gives us a chance to have our crews clearing the runways and roadways."
Travelers are being encouraged to check on their flights either by contacting their individual airlines, checking the airport's site www.phl.org, or calling its toll-free flight information number which is 800-PHL-GATE.
Lupica said the airlines are expected to resume normal operations around noon.
The airport also tweeted shortly before 7 a.m., "The majority of arriving/departing flights had been canceled for this morning & airlines plan to resume normal operations around noon today!"
Lupica added that the airport's "very seasoned crews, at this point" are working to get all of the snow off the runways and taxiways.
She urged everyone to exercise caution whether they are traveling or picking someone up at the airport.
Story and video: http://www.myfoxphilly.com
PHILADELPHIA -
Philadelphia International Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica joined the FOX 29 Morning News to provide an update Monday morning.
She said there were no planes taking off or landing early Monday morning.
"In anticipation of the weather event, airlines preemptively canceled the majority of the flights this morning. So, travelers had a good idea that their travel plans were change," Lupica said. "It gives us a chance to have our crews clearing the runways and roadways."
Travelers are being encouraged to check on their flights either by contacting their individual airlines, checking the airport's site www.phl.org, or calling its toll-free flight information number which is 800-PHL-GATE.
Lupica said the airlines are expected to resume normal operations around noon.
The airport also tweeted shortly before 7 a.m., "The majority of arriving/departing flights had been canceled for this morning & airlines plan to resume normal operations around noon today!"
Lupica added that the airport's "very seasoned crews, at this point" are working to get all of the snow off the runways and taxiways.
She urged everyone to exercise caution whether they are traveling or picking someone up at the airport.
Story and video: http://www.myfoxphilly.com
Sunday, March 02, 2014
Consultant: Air service between Pittsburgh and Northeast Pennsylvania would be profitable
Resuming commercial air service between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and Pittsburgh would probably be sustainable if an airline were willing to try it, aviation consultant Mead & Hunt found.
But that doesn't necessarily mean it will happen anytime soon - even amid the natural gas boom that would seemingly give carriers incentive to reconnect the eastern and western parts of the state.
US Airways began eliminating flights between Pittsburgh International Airport and intrastate regional airports shortly after it dropped its hub status at Pittsburgh in 2004.
Almost a decade later, the Allegheny County Airport Authority sought Mead & Hunt's study, which examined reconnecting Pennsylvania's second-largest city to the rest of the state.
The Sunday Times obtained a redacted version of the report through a Right to Know Law request.
"The three non (essential air service) markets that have significant local passenger traffic to PIT, Allentown, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are projected to be sustainable to PIT, especially when combined with the essential air service communities," the consultant's researchers said in the report.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport had five daily flights to Pittsburgh through 2003, four daily flights in 2004 and three daily flights in each of 2005 and 2006 before US Airways pulled the plug.
Mead & Hunt's researchers examined several scenarios involving an airline initiating service between Pittsburgh and 13 connecting airports throughout Pennsylvania, including Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
In every scenario involving the Pittston Twp. airport, the consultants projected an airline would make money flying between the Steel City and Northeast Pennsylvania.
Estimated annual profit margins ranged from $35,853 to $366,790 after about $3.8 million to $4.2 million in expenses associated with the route.
"If an airline is willing to do it," airport Director Barry Centini said. "Those are the key words."
Mead & Hunt also found several routes on which major airlines could lose substantial sums of money, including a possible $2.34 million loss on an unsubsidized route to Williamsport.
In that scenario, connecting to seven smaller airports would put an airline in the red $6.27 million even if flying to Northeast Pennsylvania were a profitable part of the venture.
Even just reconnecting the profitable routes has some significant challenges.
"The key issue to implementing the proposed service is finding a carrier that has the available aircraft to serve these markets profitably," the report said, citing contract agreements that have locked airline resources into certain markets.
Local airport officials tried to recruit the former Gulfstream International Airlines to resume the route, but Mr. Centini said the company was not interested.
Mead & Hunt had the same instinct, describing the company - now called Silver Airways - as "the top candidate" for the initiative and "one of the few airlines identified that could operate ... markets profitably."
Silver Airways officials told Mead & Hunt they "had no desire" to participate for now, and they instead prefer to focus on United Airlines hub cities where passengers can book flights on either airline interchangeably, the report said.
Still, Mr. Centini has hope of restoring service to Pittsburgh.
The city is one of several destinations to which airport officials can seek service with a $575,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant money's potential uses include providing revenue guarantees to airlines to ensure they don't lose money on new routes or offsetting startup costs like infrastructure upgrades.
Mr. Centini said he believes the airport has a realistic chance to gain service to any of the targeted places, which also include Washington, D.C., Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Source: http://thetimes-tribune.com
But that doesn't necessarily mean it will happen anytime soon - even amid the natural gas boom that would seemingly give carriers incentive to reconnect the eastern and western parts of the state.
US Airways began eliminating flights between Pittsburgh International Airport and intrastate regional airports shortly after it dropped its hub status at Pittsburgh in 2004.
Almost a decade later, the Allegheny County Airport Authority sought Mead & Hunt's study, which examined reconnecting Pennsylvania's second-largest city to the rest of the state.
The Sunday Times obtained a redacted version of the report through a Right to Know Law request.
"The three non (essential air service) markets that have significant local passenger traffic to PIT, Allentown, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are projected to be sustainable to PIT, especially when combined with the essential air service communities," the consultant's researchers said in the report.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport had five daily flights to Pittsburgh through 2003, four daily flights in 2004 and three daily flights in each of 2005 and 2006 before US Airways pulled the plug.
Mead & Hunt's researchers examined several scenarios involving an airline initiating service between Pittsburgh and 13 connecting airports throughout Pennsylvania, including Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
In every scenario involving the Pittston Twp. airport, the consultants projected an airline would make money flying between the Steel City and Northeast Pennsylvania.
Estimated annual profit margins ranged from $35,853 to $366,790 after about $3.8 million to $4.2 million in expenses associated with the route.
"If an airline is willing to do it," airport Director Barry Centini said. "Those are the key words."
Mead & Hunt also found several routes on which major airlines could lose substantial sums of money, including a possible $2.34 million loss on an unsubsidized route to Williamsport.
In that scenario, connecting to seven smaller airports would put an airline in the red $6.27 million even if flying to Northeast Pennsylvania were a profitable part of the venture.
Even just reconnecting the profitable routes has some significant challenges.
"The key issue to implementing the proposed service is finding a carrier that has the available aircraft to serve these markets profitably," the report said, citing contract agreements that have locked airline resources into certain markets.
Local airport officials tried to recruit the former Gulfstream International Airlines to resume the route, but Mr. Centini said the company was not interested.
Mead & Hunt had the same instinct, describing the company - now called Silver Airways - as "the top candidate" for the initiative and "one of the few airlines identified that could operate ... markets profitably."
Silver Airways officials told Mead & Hunt they "had no desire" to participate for now, and they instead prefer to focus on United Airlines hub cities where passengers can book flights on either airline interchangeably, the report said.
Still, Mr. Centini has hope of restoring service to Pittsburgh.
The city is one of several destinations to which airport officials can seek service with a $575,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The grant money's potential uses include providing revenue guarantees to airlines to ensure they don't lose money on new routes or offsetting startup costs like infrastructure upgrades.
Mr. Centini said he believes the airport has a realistic chance to gain service to any of the targeted places, which also include Washington, D.C., Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Source: http://thetimes-tribune.com
Saturday, March 01, 2014
Quincy Regional Airport (KUIN), Illinois
Cape Air cancels three flights Sunday
With 7 to 9 inches of snow being projected by the National Weather Service, Cape Air has canceled its first three flights out of Quincy Regional Airport on Sunday.
Cape Air and airport officials will monitor weather conditions Sunday to determine if the 4 p.m. flight will be launched. The terminal will open at 3 p.m. for travelers.
Passengers began to be notified Saturday about the cancellations to allow them to make other arrangements or postpone travel plans.
While Cape Air flights have been canceled, the airport remains open, officials said.
Source: http://www.whig.com
With 7 to 9 inches of snow being projected by the National Weather Service, Cape Air has canceled its first three flights out of Quincy Regional Airport on Sunday.
Cape Air and airport officials will monitor weather conditions Sunday to determine if the 4 p.m. flight will be launched. The terminal will open at 3 p.m. for travelers.
Passengers began to be notified Saturday about the cancellations to allow them to make other arrangements or postpone travel plans.
While Cape Air flights have been canceled, the airport remains open, officials said.
Source: http://www.whig.com
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Gerald R. Ford International Airport (KGRR), Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ford Airport leaders say relentless winter causes dip in passenger figures
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, MI — A relentless January winter wasn't kind to Gerald R. Ford International Airport, hindering flight schedules and lowering passenger totals for the month.
Officials announced about 157,000 passengers arrived and departed Ford Airport in January, down from about 161,800 travelers a year ago, a 2.7 percent decline.
The January figure is also off from December 2013, when about 185,000 passengers flew in or out of the airport during its second-best year with 2.23 million passengers.
"It's weather, not just here, but weather that has occurred all over the country," Executive Director Brian Ryks said at Ford Airport's board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26. "From the East Coast down to Atlanta, that has really affected us."
At the same time, Ryks said passenger seat capacity was up about 4.6 percent across all its flights.
Leaders said West Michigan's largest regional airport wasn't the only one to suffer. Traffic at Capital Region International Airport in Lansing was down 16.5 percent for the month and Muskegon County Airport down 24.5 percent, Ryks said.
Story and comments/reaction: http://www.mlive.com
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, MI — A relentless January winter wasn't kind to Gerald R. Ford International Airport, hindering flight schedules and lowering passenger totals for the month.
Officials announced about 157,000 passengers arrived and departed Ford Airport in January, down from about 161,800 travelers a year ago, a 2.7 percent decline.
The January figure is also off from December 2013, when about 185,000 passengers flew in or out of the airport during its second-best year with 2.23 million passengers.
"It's weather, not just here, but weather that has occurred all over the country," Executive Director Brian Ryks said at Ford Airport's board meeting Wednesday, Feb. 26. "From the East Coast down to Atlanta, that has really affected us."
At the same time, Ryks said passenger seat capacity was up about 4.6 percent across all its flights.
Leaders said West Michigan's largest regional airport wasn't the only one to suffer. Traffic at Capital Region International Airport in Lansing was down 16.5 percent for the month and Muskegon County Airport down 24.5 percent, Ryks said.
Story and comments/reaction: http://www.mlive.com
First repainted US Airways plane stops at Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL) - Pennsylvania
The first US Airways airplane painted in the new American Airlines colors came through Philadelphia Wednesday - Flight 1770 from Atlanta, arriving at 10:37 a.m., at Philadelphia International Airport's Gate B9.
It took 13 days and 80 gallons of paint to remove the old US Airways colors, sand, wash, seal seams, repaint, stencil and detail the Airbus A319.
In all, 300 US Airways and 350 American aircraft will get a similar makeover.
"The integration of our airlines, including painting the rest of the US Airways fleet, will take many months," said American president Scott Kirby.
US Airways merged with American Airlines in December, creating the world's largest airline: American Airlines Group Inc.
Painting the planes marks "an important step in our airlines' integration and a tangible way for customers and employees to see the result of our progress first hand," Kirby said.
By June 30, American anticipates that more than 275 aircraft will have been painted at plants in Roswell, N.M.; Victorville, Calif.; Amarillo, Tex., and Peru, Indiana.
The flight Wednesday, with 76 passengers and five crew, was operated by US Airways. It was scheduled to depart at 3:15 p.m. with 107 passengers to Boston. The freshly-painted aircraft's inaugural flight was Jan. 30 from Charlotte, N.C., to New York LaGuardia Airport.
Story and photo gallery: http://www.philly.com
It took 13 days and 80 gallons of paint to remove the old US Airways colors, sand, wash, seal seams, repaint, stencil and detail the Airbus A319.
In all, 300 US Airways and 350 American aircraft will get a similar makeover.
"The integration of our airlines, including painting the rest of the US Airways fleet, will take many months," said American president Scott Kirby.
US Airways merged with American Airlines in December, creating the world's largest airline: American Airlines Group Inc.
Painting the planes marks "an important step in our airlines' integration and a tangible way for customers and employees to see the result of our progress first hand," Kirby said.
By June 30, American anticipates that more than 275 aircraft will have been painted at plants in Roswell, N.M.; Victorville, Calif.; Amarillo, Tex., and Peru, Indiana.
The flight Wednesday, with 76 passengers and five crew, was operated by US Airways. It was scheduled to depart at 3:15 p.m. with 107 passengers to Boston. The freshly-painted aircraft's inaugural flight was Jan. 30 from Charlotte, N.C., to New York LaGuardia Airport.
Story and photo gallery: http://www.philly.com
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Problems Linger For Boeing's Flagship 787 Airliner
Despite more than a decade to work out problems and an estimated $20 billion to build it, Boeing's 787 aircraft is still plagued by issues.
The high-tech, fuel-efficient airplane was supposed to be a game changer in the aviation industry — and it still may be — but it keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Ever since 787s finally began flying in 2011, there have been technical and mechanical problems, from software bugs and engine defects to faulty wiring, trouble with hydraulics and fuel tank leaks.
"The lingering problems run the gamut from insignificant to highly significant. And it's a roll of the dice at this point what the next one's going to be," says aviation writer Christine Negroni, who has covered the issues on her blog, Flying Lessons.
The biggest problem was with the planes' lithium ion batteries, which caught fire on two of the aircraft a year ago, leading regulators to ground the entire 787 fleet worldwide for more than three months.
Made largely from carbon fiber and other composites, the 787 is lighter, more fuel-efficient and has a greater range than aluminum planes. It also has a new engine design and gives passengers larger windows and more comfort. The 787 fills a void for many airlines, giving them a long-haul, wide-body airplane with a lower operating cost, Negroni says.
The 787's problems date to the concept's introduction more than a decade ago. Design flaws, kinks in the supply chain and manufacturing troubles delayed its production by years.
"People defend the airplane by saying it's just teething problems," Negroni says. "I don't know of another airplane that was grounded for 3 1/2 months because they were concerned about fire in flight."
The plane went back into service even though critics say Boeing never fixed the problem. Instead, it just built a box around the battery to better contain any fire, added a system to ventilate smoke and fumes, and spaced the battery cells farther apart.
And sure enough, last month, another battery overheated, sending smoke outside the plane.
In addition to the chronic reliability problems, Negroni says some of the airlines flying the plane, including LOT in Poland, are finding the 787, known as the Dreamliner, to be a publicity nightmare.
"The CEO of LOT said to me, 'Flying the Dreamliner is like dating Paris Hilton. Everything you do makes news,' " Negroni says. "Even if it's a minor issue on the Dreamliner, it's a headline."
In an emailed statement, a Boeing spokesman acknowledges problems but says that improving dependability of the 787 "is at the top of our priorities and we're making good progress at reducing those reliability issues."
The aerospace giant says that after years of delays, the company is "on track to meet all delivery commitments in 2014," now producing 787s at a record rate of 10 per month.
But the ramped-up production pace apparently comes with a cost.
Union machinists on the 787 assembly line in Everett, Wash., say they're getting incomplete fuselage sections of the plane from Boeing's new nonunion plant in South Carolina. Some of the plane sections have bad wiring or poorly installed hydraulics lines, they say.
"There's no question that Boeing management underestimated the difficulty of this approach to building the 787," says Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis at the Teal Group.
Aboulafia says Boeing made a mistake when it fired hundreds of experienced contract employees last year to cut costs. Now, the company is hiring some of them back and adding new contract workers to address the production problems in South Carolina.
A handful of airlines, including Air India and Norwegian Air, want compensation from Boeing for problems. Still, at a list price of over $200 million each, orders are still strong, Aboulafia says.
"You've still got over 800 planes on order. That's pretty impressive," he says.
Among the happy customers is United Airlines, which has nine of the airplanes in service and has ordered dozens more.
"It is by far the most popular aircraft in our fleet for both customers and employees," says United spokeswoman Christen David. The airplane allows United to add new direct routes to China, Australia and Nigeria, David says.
So how's this for confidence in the plane? After signing a $155 million contract to play for the Yankees a few weeks ago, Japanese baseball star Masahiro Tanaka spent nearly $200,000 to charter a 787 to New York.
Story, photo, audio and comments/reaction: http://www.npr.org
Airbus faces tough battles over A330 longevity plan
(Reuters) - As Airbus races through flight testing of its newest plane, the next-generation A350, Europe's planemaker faces growing battles to secure a future for the A330, until now its only truly lucrative wide-body jet.
Twenty years after it entered service, the 250 to 300-seat jet has repeatedly been pronounced dead by rival Boeing but refuses to lie down, outliving its A340 sibling and surviving for now the arrival of lighter new jets like Boeing's 787 and the A350.
But analysts say time is finally ticking on Airbus's most profitable wide-body jet, despite a steady series of changes aimed at prolonging the end of its production cycle and with over 1,000 still in service.
Without a fresh burst of sales or a slowdown from current record production levels, they say, Airbus faces a sharp drop in deliveries from 2016 onwards, with the visible backlog of undelivered aircraft now worth just 26 months of production.
"The A330 had an amazing past five years, not only because of its merits, but because Boeing's 787 was delayed," said industry analyst Richard Aboulafia at Teal Group.
"But with the 787 hitting (its targeted) production of 10 aircraft per month, that is going to crowd the A330 out of the market space pretty quickly," he added.
That leaves Airbus with a two-fold challenge. It must decide
how best to maintain a foothold in the 200 to 300-seat market, where it first developed jets more than 40 years ago and which Boeing later targeted in part with its 787 family.
The version of the A350 that Airbus originally hoped would defend that spot, the 270-seat A350-800, has sold poorly and is likely to remain sidelined compared to the 314-seat A350-900.
And with the A350 only gradually building up output until 2018, experts say Airbus faces a hole in revenue and cash flow as a gap opens between peak output of the A330 and that of the A350 -just as it also wrestles with a complex transition between versions of its other main cash cow, the A320.
Even though orders may not be as bleak as they appear, with some countries still to approve deals, Airbus has already started looking at ways of heading off any output gaps.
Last year it broke from a pattern of beefing up the A330 to fly further with more payload and announced a leaner Regional version to compete in the key Chinese domestic market.
Ostensibly the aircraft is the same, but its performance will be artificially capped to help save airlines save on maintenance and statutory bills like landing fees.
Such an aircraft would be a niche product aimed at countries with congested domestic markets like China and India.
Morphing the plane in a different direction, Airbus is also looking at the possibility of new engines to boost performance in its core activity of flying medium- and long-haul routes.
It has given itself until the end of the year to make a decision but could make a move at Farnborough Airshow in July.
COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
But industry sources say Airbus has already raised the stakes by offering to increase its industrial presence in China with an A330 cabin center. It already assembles small jets there.
"We have always been open to additional industrial co-operation when the market supports it," Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier said at the recent Singapore Airshow, asked about the first report of such a proposal in Aviation Week.
In response, market watchers say Boeing has launched a counter-offensive to halt the A330's latest assault on China.
Officials with the U.S. firm acknowledge that Airbus's A330 Regional would save just over 10 percent in operating costs.
But they argue this would not compensate for the extra fuel needed for a heavy aircraft like the A330 when it is operating on short routes instead of the long ones it was designed for.
Adapting the industry playbook, they say it would be more profitable to fly two smaller Boeing 737s instead, because the Airbus would burn 12 percent more fuel than both combined.
Airbus officials argue that China's crowded skies and airport congestion rule out adding flights, so the only option is to boost capacity. About 80 percent of China's airspace is under military control, leaving scarce room for traffic development.
That could be changing as China seeks to boost the low-cost airline sector but there is no clear-cut rule on whether more flights are the right marketing tool, said Ascend analyst Rob Morris.
STRATEGIC MARKET, TACTICAL TOOLS
But critics of Airbus's plans have a fallback argument.
Boeing, they say, is likely to try to persuade Chinese airlines that even if they want to put A330s on domestic routes to ease congestion it would be better for their balance sheets and more practical to redeploy them from international ones, rather than buy even more A330s with declining resale values.
Airbus officials counter that it would cost millions of dollars to reconfigure jets in that way.
China is one of the most strategic markets for both companies but analysts say they are also behaving tactically.
Both have gambled on lighter weight carbon-fiber technology but are unable to deliver as quickly as airlines would like, and are meanwhile carving out sales pitches playing up their existing products.
The battle looks set to revive tensions between the two dominant planemakers in the $100 billion annual jetliner market that last erupted in an advertising war in 2012.
Taking aim at Airbus's flexibility over pricing of the A330, whose development was paid for long ago, a Boeing executive said it would be a "losing proposition" against the smaller 737 in China, even if Airbus gave up any gap in price.
An Airbus official retorted curtly, saying Boeing's own data was "veracity-challenged".
Source: http://www.reuters.com
Twenty years after it entered service, the 250 to 300-seat jet has repeatedly been pronounced dead by rival Boeing but refuses to lie down, outliving its A340 sibling and surviving for now the arrival of lighter new jets like Boeing's 787 and the A350.
But analysts say time is finally ticking on Airbus's most profitable wide-body jet, despite a steady series of changes aimed at prolonging the end of its production cycle and with over 1,000 still in service.
Without a fresh burst of sales or a slowdown from current record production levels, they say, Airbus faces a sharp drop in deliveries from 2016 onwards, with the visible backlog of undelivered aircraft now worth just 26 months of production.
"The A330 had an amazing past five years, not only because of its merits, but because Boeing's 787 was delayed," said industry analyst Richard Aboulafia at Teal Group.
"But with the 787 hitting (its targeted) production of 10 aircraft per month, that is going to crowd the A330 out of the market space pretty quickly," he added.
That leaves Airbus with a two-fold challenge. It must decide
how best to maintain a foothold in the 200 to 300-seat market, where it first developed jets more than 40 years ago and which Boeing later targeted in part with its 787 family.
The version of the A350 that Airbus originally hoped would defend that spot, the 270-seat A350-800, has sold poorly and is likely to remain sidelined compared to the 314-seat A350-900.
And with the A350 only gradually building up output until 2018, experts say Airbus faces a hole in revenue and cash flow as a gap opens between peak output of the A330 and that of the A350 -just as it also wrestles with a complex transition between versions of its other main cash cow, the A320.
Even though orders may not be as bleak as they appear, with some countries still to approve deals, Airbus has already started looking at ways of heading off any output gaps.
Last year it broke from a pattern of beefing up the A330 to fly further with more payload and announced a leaner Regional version to compete in the key Chinese domestic market.
Ostensibly the aircraft is the same, but its performance will be artificially capped to help save airlines save on maintenance and statutory bills like landing fees.
Such an aircraft would be a niche product aimed at countries with congested domestic markets like China and India.
Morphing the plane in a different direction, Airbus is also looking at the possibility of new engines to boost performance in its core activity of flying medium- and long-haul routes.
It has given itself until the end of the year to make a decision but could make a move at Farnborough Airshow in July.
COUNTER-OFFENSIVE
But industry sources say Airbus has already raised the stakes by offering to increase its industrial presence in China with an A330 cabin center. It already assembles small jets there.
"We have always been open to additional industrial co-operation when the market supports it," Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier said at the recent Singapore Airshow, asked about the first report of such a proposal in Aviation Week.
In response, market watchers say Boeing has launched a counter-offensive to halt the A330's latest assault on China.
Officials with the U.S. firm acknowledge that Airbus's A330 Regional would save just over 10 percent in operating costs.
But they argue this would not compensate for the extra fuel needed for a heavy aircraft like the A330 when it is operating on short routes instead of the long ones it was designed for.
Adapting the industry playbook, they say it would be more profitable to fly two smaller Boeing 737s instead, because the Airbus would burn 12 percent more fuel than both combined.
Airbus officials argue that China's crowded skies and airport congestion rule out adding flights, so the only option is to boost capacity. About 80 percent of China's airspace is under military control, leaving scarce room for traffic development.
That could be changing as China seeks to boost the low-cost airline sector but there is no clear-cut rule on whether more flights are the right marketing tool, said Ascend analyst Rob Morris.
STRATEGIC MARKET, TACTICAL TOOLS
But critics of Airbus's plans have a fallback argument.
Boeing, they say, is likely to try to persuade Chinese airlines that even if they want to put A330s on domestic routes to ease congestion it would be better for their balance sheets and more practical to redeploy them from international ones, rather than buy even more A330s with declining resale values.
Airbus officials counter that it would cost millions of dollars to reconfigure jets in that way.
China is one of the most strategic markets for both companies but analysts say they are also behaving tactically.
Both have gambled on lighter weight carbon-fiber technology but are unable to deliver as quickly as airlines would like, and are meanwhile carving out sales pitches playing up their existing products.
The battle looks set to revive tensions between the two dominant planemakers in the $100 billion annual jetliner market that last erupted in an advertising war in 2012.
Taking aim at Airbus's flexibility over pricing of the A330, whose development was paid for long ago, a Boeing executive said it would be a "losing proposition" against the smaller 737 in China, even if Airbus gave up any gap in price.
An Airbus official retorted curtly, saying Boeing's own data was "veracity-challenged".
Source: http://www.reuters.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Susi Air to Spend Up to $50m for 10 Additional Aircraft
Jakarta. ASI Pudjiastuti
Aviation, an Indonesian airline operator that runs Susi Air, plans to
add 10 aircraft to its fleet this year, with aims of expanding its
reach.
Total combined cost is estimated to reach as much as $50 million, said Susi Pudjiastuti, chief executive and owner of the airline operator, on Wednesday.
The additional aircraft will expand the schedule and charter airline’s fleet to 59 airplanes.
“I want to make citizens of our archipelago feel as if they live in one continent, instead of thousands of scattered islands. I want to show them it’s easy to travel using our service,” said Susi.
Susi Air, based in Pangandaran, West Java, is one of the world’s biggest users of Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft, in the chartered and commuter service category.
She added that the purchase will be financed by loans, not through leasing.
“For airlines who operate with small aircraft, it is better to use bank loans. The option of leasing is a very expensive one,” she explained.
Founded in 2004 with two Cessna Grand Caravans, the company has managed to find a niche market by flying to remote regions that are not serviced by larger commercial airlines. Some routes are booked on a charter basis.
Susi Air now serves a total of 195 routes and 165 destinations throughout Indonesia, from the most western part of Aceh province to the most eastern part of Merauke in Papua. The airline offers scheduled commercial flights, block seat flights and scheduled chartered flights. It also offers spot charter flights and long term charter flights.
Of its 195 domestic routes, 177 — or 91 percent — are unique to Susi Air.
Last year, it booked $40 million in revenue and in 2014, Susi hopes to see a 20 percent increase, thanks to steady demand from its customers.
“The biggest challenge is now the rupiah depreciation. It contributes to around 70 to 80 percent to our total spending, for spare parts, maintenance and pilot costs,” explained Susi.
Still, she is confident her business will continue to see growth, along with the government’s efforts to open more remote areas and build more airports that can accommodate smaller airlines.
When asked whether she may be interested to takeover routes leftover by Merpati Airlines, an ailing state-owned carrier that has suspended all flights in early February, she said: “If it looks good, we’ll take it [the routes]. But I don’t know, it all depends on the government.”
Susi was previously a lobster entrepreneur who unintentionally fell into the airline business.
Susi Air’s corporate clients include coal miners Adaro Indonesia and Indika Energy, diversified conglomerate Bosowa Corporation, cement maker Holcim Indonesia, as well as global cable news network CNN.
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
Total combined cost is estimated to reach as much as $50 million, said Susi Pudjiastuti, chief executive and owner of the airline operator, on Wednesday.
The additional aircraft will expand the schedule and charter airline’s fleet to 59 airplanes.
“I want to make citizens of our archipelago feel as if they live in one continent, instead of thousands of scattered islands. I want to show them it’s easy to travel using our service,” said Susi.
Susi Air, based in Pangandaran, West Java, is one of the world’s biggest users of Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft, in the chartered and commuter service category.
She added that the purchase will be financed by loans, not through leasing.
“For airlines who operate with small aircraft, it is better to use bank loans. The option of leasing is a very expensive one,” she explained.
Founded in 2004 with two Cessna Grand Caravans, the company has managed to find a niche market by flying to remote regions that are not serviced by larger commercial airlines. Some routes are booked on a charter basis.
Susi Air now serves a total of 195 routes and 165 destinations throughout Indonesia, from the most western part of Aceh province to the most eastern part of Merauke in Papua. The airline offers scheduled commercial flights, block seat flights and scheduled chartered flights. It also offers spot charter flights and long term charter flights.
Of its 195 domestic routes, 177 — or 91 percent — are unique to Susi Air.
Last year, it booked $40 million in revenue and in 2014, Susi hopes to see a 20 percent increase, thanks to steady demand from its customers.
“The biggest challenge is now the rupiah depreciation. It contributes to around 70 to 80 percent to our total spending, for spare parts, maintenance and pilot costs,” explained Susi.
Still, she is confident her business will continue to see growth, along with the government’s efforts to open more remote areas and build more airports that can accommodate smaller airlines.
When asked whether she may be interested to takeover routes leftover by Merpati Airlines, an ailing state-owned carrier that has suspended all flights in early February, she said: “If it looks good, we’ll take it [the routes]. But I don’t know, it all depends on the government.”
Susi was previously a lobster entrepreneur who unintentionally fell into the airline business.
Susi Air’s corporate clients include coal miners Adaro Indonesia and Indika Energy, diversified conglomerate Bosowa Corporation, cement maker Holcim Indonesia, as well as global cable news network CNN.
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Cape Air Announces New Service to Block Island
Flights to Block Island from Providence and New York will begin May 22, 2014.
Hyannis, MA (PRWEB) February 17, 2014
Cape Air, one of the nation’s largest regional airlines, will begin seasonal service to Block Island, RI. Beginning on May 22, the Thursday before the start of Memorial Day Weekend, Cape Air will offer daily flights between Block Island Airport (BID) and T.F. Green Airport (PVD) and between BID and Westchester County Airport (HPN). Passengers also have the option to take Cape Air’s ground transportation from Westchester County Airport to 35th Street and 8th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.
The addition of service to Block Island complements Cape Air’s current schedules, which include seasonal, daily flights to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard from T.F. Green and Westchester County Airports.
“After several years of collaboration with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, we are thrilled to be able to start seasonal, scheduled service to Block Island. Cape Air specializes in connecting passengers to some of the most desirable destinations in the U.S. and Caribbean – Block Island fits our model perfectly,” said Linda Markham, President, Cape Air.
Block Island has a short runway, which limits the type of aircraft that can land at BID. Cape Air has acquired Britten-Norman Islanders that are specifically suited to the needs of this market. The Britten-Norman Islander is a nine passenger, high-wing, twin-engine aircraft with the capability to land on short runways.
“Flights from T.F. Green Airport to Block Island will soon become a reality. Block Island passengers on Cape Air will have access to connecting service on other carriers and commuter rail service to Providence and Boston via the convenience of T. F. Green Airport. Cape Air is a valued travel partner, offering seasonal service to the Cape and Islands for over 15 years. This additional service is, hopefully, an indication of future growth,” said Kelly Fredericks, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC).
Passengers can book their flights to Block Island now by visiting capeair.com, or by calling 800-CAPE-AIR.
About Cape Air:
Now in its 25th year, Cape Air is one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States annually flying over 735,000 passengers to destinations around the world including New England, New York, the Caribbean, the Midwest and Micronesia. With a fleet of seventy-five Cessna 402s, three Britten-Norman Islanders, and two ATR-42s, the employee-owned company operates up to 550 flights per day. Based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Cape Air also operates flights under the Nantucket Airlines brand. Cape Air is a codeshare partner with United Airlines and American Airlines in the Caribbean and American Airlines in the Midwest. In Micronesia Cape Air operates as United Express. In addition, Cape Air has ticket and baggage agreements with most major airlines. Cape Air’s unique brand of customer service, MOCHA HAGoTDI,* has earned the airline accolades as ‘Best Airline’ on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and in the United States Virgin Islands. The airline has been recognized for outstanding philanthropy in the communities it serves and Cape Air Founder and CEO Dan Wolf was recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award. *Make our Customers Happy and Have a Good Time Doing It!
Source: http://www.prweb.com
Hyannis, MA (PRWEB) February 17, 2014
Cape Air, one of the nation’s largest regional airlines, will begin seasonal service to Block Island, RI. Beginning on May 22, the Thursday before the start of Memorial Day Weekend, Cape Air will offer daily flights between Block Island Airport (BID) and T.F. Green Airport (PVD) and between BID and Westchester County Airport (HPN). Passengers also have the option to take Cape Air’s ground transportation from Westchester County Airport to 35th Street and 8th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.
The addition of service to Block Island complements Cape Air’s current schedules, which include seasonal, daily flights to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard from T.F. Green and Westchester County Airports.
“After several years of collaboration with the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, we are thrilled to be able to start seasonal, scheduled service to Block Island. Cape Air specializes in connecting passengers to some of the most desirable destinations in the U.S. and Caribbean – Block Island fits our model perfectly,” said Linda Markham, President, Cape Air.
Block Island has a short runway, which limits the type of aircraft that can land at BID. Cape Air has acquired Britten-Norman Islanders that are specifically suited to the needs of this market. The Britten-Norman Islander is a nine passenger, high-wing, twin-engine aircraft with the capability to land on short runways.
“Flights from T.F. Green Airport to Block Island will soon become a reality. Block Island passengers on Cape Air will have access to connecting service on other carriers and commuter rail service to Providence and Boston via the convenience of T. F. Green Airport. Cape Air is a valued travel partner, offering seasonal service to the Cape and Islands for over 15 years. This additional service is, hopefully, an indication of future growth,” said Kelly Fredericks, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC).
Passengers can book their flights to Block Island now by visiting capeair.com, or by calling 800-CAPE-AIR.
About Cape Air:
Now in its 25th year, Cape Air is one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States annually flying over 735,000 passengers to destinations around the world including New England, New York, the Caribbean, the Midwest and Micronesia. With a fleet of seventy-five Cessna 402s, three Britten-Norman Islanders, and two ATR-42s, the employee-owned company operates up to 550 flights per day. Based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, Cape Air also operates flights under the Nantucket Airlines brand. Cape Air is a codeshare partner with United Airlines and American Airlines in the Caribbean and American Airlines in the Midwest. In Micronesia Cape Air operates as United Express. In addition, Cape Air has ticket and baggage agreements with most major airlines. Cape Air’s unique brand of customer service, MOCHA HAGoTDI,* has earned the airline accolades as ‘Best Airline’ on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and in the United States Virgin Islands. The airline has been recognized for outstanding philanthropy in the communities it serves and Cape Air Founder and CEO Dan Wolf was recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award. *Make our Customers Happy and Have a Good Time Doing It!
Source: http://www.prweb.com
Monday, February 17, 2014
Rat on board, Air India flight delayed for two hours
Never underestimate a tiny rat. A 100-odd passengers who took Air India's Aurangabad-Mumbai flight on Saturday evening will agree hands down. For, it was a little rat on board that delayed their flight by over two hours, upsetting their schedules terribly.
The rodent was first noticed by state minister Nitin Raut around 5.30pm just as the flight was picking up momentum. It scampered over Raut's feet. Raut looked down to find the rodent ducking for cover, as it were.
The minister, who holds a pilot's licence, was quick to alert the cabin crew and the pilot, said sources. When dna tried to contact him for his comment, his phone was not reachable.
A rat, or any such creature on board, can pose serious threat to safety of a flight. It is for this reason that the civil aviation authority – Directorate General of Civil Aviation – forbids any littering on board or anywhere around the airport.
Staffers at Aurangabad's Chikkalthana airport were quick to swing into action. The plane was brought back to the hangar. Air India sources said that it was decided to abort the flight.
"Passengers were deplaned. A thorough search began to locate the rodent," said a spokesperson of Air India. "The flight was delayed by at least two hours."
Work began at a frenetic pace. Passengers' baggage and other cargo were pulled out, said an airline source. "Rats can prove dangerous as they can destroy the wiring system of an aircraft and leave a catastrophic effect mid-flight," said this source who spoke strictly on the condition that he not be named. In keeping with protocol, the aviation regulator was informed about the pest on board.
The task was pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack. With no sign of the tiny rat for far too long, the last resort was to smoke the rat out. "The plane was fumigated," said an airport source. As curls of smoke filled the aisles, out jumped the rat, running helter-skelter and scurrying onto the open runway and yonder.
For Air India's staff the woes hadn't ended yet. They had to bear the brunt of agitated passengers who complained of the delay and about missing connecting flights from Mumbai. All this, thanks to a tiny little rat.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com
The rodent was first noticed by state minister Nitin Raut around 5.30pm just as the flight was picking up momentum. It scampered over Raut's feet. Raut looked down to find the rodent ducking for cover, as it were.
The minister, who holds a pilot's licence, was quick to alert the cabin crew and the pilot, said sources. When dna tried to contact him for his comment, his phone was not reachable.
A rat, or any such creature on board, can pose serious threat to safety of a flight. It is for this reason that the civil aviation authority – Directorate General of Civil Aviation – forbids any littering on board or anywhere around the airport.
Staffers at Aurangabad's Chikkalthana airport were quick to swing into action. The plane was brought back to the hangar. Air India sources said that it was decided to abort the flight.
"Passengers were deplaned. A thorough search began to locate the rodent," said a spokesperson of Air India. "The flight was delayed by at least two hours."
Work began at a frenetic pace. Passengers' baggage and other cargo were pulled out, said an airline source. "Rats can prove dangerous as they can destroy the wiring system of an aircraft and leave a catastrophic effect mid-flight," said this source who spoke strictly on the condition that he not be named. In keeping with protocol, the aviation regulator was informed about the pest on board.
The task was pretty much like looking for a needle in a haystack. With no sign of the tiny rat for far too long, the last resort was to smoke the rat out. "The plane was fumigated," said an airport source. As curls of smoke filled the aisles, out jumped the rat, running helter-skelter and scurrying onto the open runway and yonder.
For Air India's staff the woes hadn't ended yet. They had to bear the brunt of agitated passengers who complained of the delay and about missing connecting flights from Mumbai. All this, thanks to a tiny little rat.
Source: http://www.dnaindia.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
